High Hopes: A Phillies Podcast - Phillies-Padres NLCS Game 1 Reaction Pod: What Are We Watching?

Episode Date: October 19, 2022

James Seltzer and Jack Fritz react to the Phillies beating the Padres 2-0 to win Game 1 of the NLCS. Presented by Miller Lite. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This is the High Hopes Podcast. High Hopes! It's a bunch of baseball nerds talking about the Phillies. On Odyssey and Sports Radio 94, WIP. No! It is! Oh, it is! Another edition of the IOPs Podcast, Jack Fritz.

I literally just muted my mic as I did that. I got so excited. I'm not kidding. There's a little blip there. I don't know what recorded what didn't. I'm going to leave it as it is because it is the IOPs Podcast presented by Miller Lite. I did slam into my microphone, Jack Fritz, because we just saw the Phillies just go out to San Diego in game one of the NLCS and just like handle business. Like it was a business trip. Like no big deal. We're just going to shut this lineup down. Kyle Schwerber is going

to hit one of the furthest home runs anyone's ever hit in the history of the playoffs. And just, you know, no big deal. Like, it was the most work. Jack, like, what happened? What happened? I don't even have a, by the way, I apologize to everyone. No voice since being at the game on Friday night, or Saturday, because every game I'm just yelling at the top of my lungs

because they keep doing great things. Jack Fritz, like, how crazy is it to think that we spent whatever it is, five plus, six years, whatever, doing this podcast, moaning and complaining and whining and saying, where's a great baseball team? We just want to see good baseball. We just want a team that plays the right way and wins games. And wouldn't you know it that two and a half weeks ago,

still the same thing, and now two and a half weeks ago, still the same thing. And now 20 and a half weeks later, Jack, we're watching the best team we've ever seen in the history of this podcast by miles. What is happening? James, I think they're going. Did you meet your Mike too? No, I didn't.

I think they're going to the World Series. Dude, they're three games away. They won a game in San Diego. They're going to be favored now. They're the favorite from the National League to go to the World Series. Dude, I think they're going to the World Series. Dude, I don't think I ever thought I would ever utter that sentence in my entire life. Let me just get this out.

Because I'm struggling. I swear to God, James, if there was a camera on me right now, it would see me struggling to talk because I'm smiling so hard. That's how happy I am about what just happened, dude. Dude, Zach Wheeler just pitched an all-time Phillies pitch, an all-time Phillies game. We're talking Cliff Lee in 09 in New York, game one, all of that. We're talking Cole Hamels pretty much all of 2008. We're talking Roy Hallett, a no-hitter.

And Zach Wheeler tonight is up there with all of those. And, yes, if Topper gave him the chance to go out there for the eighth and ninth, I think he would have been fine. But it was, dude, like they,, it was, like, it was legit. Dude, it was like a stress-free 2-0 game that it felt like a June game because I just trust this team so much that it's like I wasn't even that scared. I wasn't either. I wasn't either.

Sure, sure. Is Josh Bell terrifying because of what he did with the Nationals against the Phillies? Yeah, but it's like, dude, at no point tonight was I ever like, nah, this is going to kill him. Like, even when they put Wheeler, I was already preparing the eulogy to tell my kids one day. Well, and Jack, every single Phillies fan was. I don't think there was a more. There were two things that happened tonight where it was just like you knew that every single person was going to be in on the same thing.

One was him pulling Wheeler into every single Phillies fan. Got a thousand texts saying, what are we doing? What's happening here? And the other is that the Bryce Harper face during the Schwarber home run was going to be everywhere on social media like two seconds after it happened. Those two things were the biggest locks of the night. Dude, I have no idea what I'm watching. Like, I am so used to them just blowing these games and i am now so freaking cocky about this team that it like

dude i there was there's like two people in the padres lineup where i'm like oh he's gonna hurt us you know but like everyone else i'm like this is absolutely I'm like, this is absolutely nothing. This is absolutely, this is just going to be cake work. I am so, like I have, I am so happy that I'm speechless. This is the most speechless you've ever been. I don't ever remember you struggling to put words together like this. Dude, like, can I just, I think we need to put this into perspective. Like our ace went out in a game one and it was insane. Our MVP hit a big, you know, relaxer home run to set the tone and calm everyone down at dugout when Hugh Darvish was, like,

starting to get on a roll. The guy they brought in to be the leader of this team, the emotional leader, the basically manager on the field, hit the furthest ball I've ever seen in my entire life. Unbelievable. I'm pretty sure. Dude, it was unbelievable. It was, again, we've all seen this, Dad.

It's 119.7. It's the second hardest hit ball in the StatCast era, or the hardest home run, the hardest home run ever in the postseason, the second furthest home run in the postseason, at least in the StatGast era. Like it was one of those where to the eye test, it's like, oh, that's one of the hardest hit, furthest home runs I've ever seen. And it's like, oh no, yeah, it actually was. I mean, think about the syn synchrosies i think that's the okay word here synchronicity the synchronicity that felt too big honestly if i was being serious

that felt like too big of a word but i was like all right the what does idiosyncrasy make any work and make any sense yeah no no no no okay but the synchronicity of, all right, so first off, your one-two pitchers are pitching like Hamels did in 08, which if you want to talk about where the sport is going now, back in 08 it was still, ah, you just need one ace and a bunch of other good pitchers. Now you definitely need two aces pretty pretty much, if you want to compete at a high level. But those two guys are

pitching like animals. They're in a way. You had the Bryson Stott at bat, which felt like the Brett Myers at bat. You had the Hoskins Homer that felt like the Victorino Grand Slam. And you had the Schwarber Homer on that felt like stairs. It's insane right now. So you have that.

You have those two guys that you paid buku bucks to come here. You have Wheeler you paid buku bucks to come here. You have a manager who has this. Talk about just pure stones, dude. The pure stones to pull Zach Wheeler at 83 pitches when he looks absolutely unhittable. But you know what he's thinking about, James? He's thinking about the rest of the series. It's a seven-game series.

There's no off days between games five and six. You have to think about that stuff. That's big. Whatever. So he pulls him. Sir Anthony has the most stress for the eighth inning I think I've ever seen. Dude, it's the best Sir Anthony we've ever seen. It's the best we've ever seen.

I know. But how crazy is that? This is the best we've ever seen in my entire life. Dude, it's the best he's ever – it's the best Aaron Anthony we've ever seen. It's the best we've ever seen. I know. But how crazy is that? This is the best we've ever seen him. And we didn't even know if he was going to be anything in the playoffs right before. And then Jose Alvarado, who no one trusted with anything three months ago, is closing an NLCS game one on the road where he walks a batter and there's a crucial error that would lead to the downfall in my entire life and like dude they just they just did it like they just they just won they just won and what we are seeing right now james i mean

dude it's like i think they're going to the World Series, and I think this is the best team of the run, even better than any team from 07 to 11. Wow, that is bold, buddy. I think they are legitimately better on paper and on vibes right now than those teams, and those teams were ridiculous. I mean, that's a very bold statement. And obviously, look, they have to do more to really justify that.

But I get it. I was going to say to you that they're one of the best Phillies teams of all time, like you said, right now, today, at this moment, one of the best Phillies teams of all time. And obviously, the 08 team is as well. The 80 team is as well. Phillies teams of all time. And obviously the 08 team is as well. The 80 team is as well. But yeah, man, like again, like they're, they're, I have no fear of anybody. Like, I don't care if it's the Padres, if it's the Astros, if it's the Yankees, like I wasn't scared of the Dodgers.

I actually wanted to play the Dodgers more than the Padres by the end of it. Like we've gotten the point where there is no team in baseball that scares me. There's no team in baseball that I don't think the Phillies can go in and beat in their house or, or here, by the way. I mean, I think,

you know, as we saw, like the Phillies have the biggest home field advantage left in the playoffs on top of all this stuff. Like Jack, like I'm right there with you, man. Like this is the,

this whole run has been surreal for us. Right. You know, because especially with, look what we just talked about. Literally, what, like, two and a half weeks ago? Was it three weeks ago, that 13-4 game? It was somewhere between two and a half and three weeks ago

was the 13-4 game in Washington, where all of us, every single one of us was like, they are a bunch of losers. This team are losers. They are never going to get this done. They're always going to break our hearts. Like, this is who they are. And since that game, in the span of two and a half to three weeks,

they have morphed in to the best Phillies team we've seen in the history of this podcast. And like you just said, one of the best Phillies teams of all time in the past three weeks, Jack. We've made that transition to the point where we all trust them with our lives in the playoffs and we don't even stress about it like you're so right I was not stressed tonight at the ninth inning and it's so funny because Josh Bell was the only thing that stressed me I wasn't stressed about Soto and Machado for some reason but Josh Bell steps to

the plate and all these little things come up. But even then, I wasn't stressed. Compared to the way I normally would be with the Phillies in that situation, I was like, you know what? We got this. We're winning this. We're winning game one. I kept thinking about it. I kept like, oh, we're just going to win.

And how are we there, Jack? How are we there? It's like a switch flipped. And all of a sudden, this team is the exact team we always wanted them to be the team we dreamed of like they're here in front of us winning playoff games like it's no problem like they've done it forever we talked so long jack about this team needing to learn how to win right like that was our one of our rallying cries on this podcast was like, they need to learn how to win.

They don't know how to win. And they brought in Schwerber. And this season we saw them learn and start to win and stuff. But like, but like somehow in the span of three weeks, they've turned into a team that like absolutely knows how to win and goes out and handles business in big spots, Jack. It is, honestly, I don't ever remember in my lifetime honestly in my lifetime as a philly sports fan my opinion on a team changing so epically dramatically in such a short period of time we've never seen this jack we've not like we we straight up have not seen

this and i like i think that they are better now than even we would have thought preseason. You know, because I think preseason would have been like, well, Castellanos is going to be great and Schwarber is going to be the leader and Harper is MVP and JT bounce back. Reese is good, this and that. But, you know, think about where we were preseason. Like, boom, no one liked it all. He's now like an integral part of this.

Although, I mean, bad air in the ninth. Bryson Stott is the shortstop, which I think we had an idea of. But still, you know, he's here. He's playing well. Good defense tonight. You know, and just, I trust him in big

moments. Brandon Marsh is better than anything we had in center field at the beginning of the season. By miles, dude, by miles. But then you really get to the, to everything else. Like position wise,

I think we had an idea of what this team was going to be, but look at everything else. Nola, we couldn't trust in big games heading into the season. Now it's like, yeah, he's got it. Zach Wheeler. Again, we always trusted, but like their decisions, couldn't trust in big games heading into the season now it's like yeah he's got it um Zach

Wheeler again we always trusted um but like their decision to shut him down for a month in the middle of the season was freaking brilliant because look at what the guy's doing right now I mean the guy's pumping 98 in the seventh inning of a dominating start in NLCS game one like that that decision absolutely worked but it's not even the starting staff, you know. It's the bullpen. It's Jose Alvarado who, again, no one trusted, who was sent down for three weeks to the minor leagues, was a complete afterthought.

I never thought about Jose Alvarado ever. You know, and when he came back up, it's like, oh, this 94-mile-an an hour cutter is a cute idea, but can you really trust him? And he did it tonight. Just never doubted himself. You have Sir Anthony who heading into the season, people were like, yeah, I would love to believe in Sir Anthony, but I don't know if he can say healthy. David Robertson's here now. Zac Eflin's out of the bullpen now, which is something that no one had any idea what was happening. They are a damn good baseball team, James. They are a damn freaking good baseball team from top to bottom.

And when you see them go against the likes of the Padres, you're like, what should I be afraid of you're like what should I be afraid of like really what should I be afraid of they they are like Soto and Machado are unbelievable we know that um Josh Bell is terrifying Cronenworth puts the bet on the baseball um like I don't know why I'm like kind of afraid of Austin Nola but I don't know it's just because he's got the Nola vibes yeah man I mean I think anyone, anyone connected to a Philly, like it's like by proxy right now. I know.

Um, you know, Darvish is really good tonight. Um, Darvish was great. Darvish was really, really good. But like,

dude, Blake's not like, I don't, I, again, I don't want to get ahead of myself. Cause like my whole, my whole take today was,

I think they went game two. I think they went game one and lose game two. But at this point, like I have noola on the road where he's been great versus Blake Snell, who I don't trust in the big game. 92 degrees, Jack. They're calling for 92 degrees tomorrow. A little Aaron Nola heat, buddy. Well, he has dominated the cold.

I mean, he dominated his last start in the cold. But, like, we talk about this team reaching the potential that we thought preseason. They've changed a lot from what we thought preseason, and they're way better than we thought preseason, James. Way better! Jack, they're three wins away from the World

Series, man! We thought they were going to be good this year. We thought they were a playoff team. We both felt really confident that they would end the drought. We knew that, you know, baseball, anything can happen. But no matter what, you know, I thought was going to happen, how good I could be, like, in my deepest heart of hearts, I didn't think I would be sitting here talking to you on October 18th,

talking not just about them in the NLCS, but talking about them incredibly confidently in the NLCS but talking about them incredibly confidently in the NLCS feeling like they are going to go to the World Series like that is how I feel right now and and obviously they still gotta play good games to your point like you know many series of you've won the first game and things change but I just I have full trust in this baseball team right now and to your point it's like i have trust in aaron nola i have trust in guys like i never thought i would in this type like in this type of spot you know well again the phillies have never won a postseason series in their entire existence as a franchise where they've lost game one as uh where they lost game

one in the series and they won game one tonight. That's a massive win on the road in San Diego where you capture momentum and you split on the road. You split on the road with a chance to take a commanding, like an absolutely commanding 2-0 lead with your second ace on the mound who's been arguably as good as your first ace. And Blake Snell, again. I wish Blake Snell was pitching here because he would have no shot.

Yeah, I talked about that tonight. I watched a game with neighbor Dan tonight, by the way. What a blast. Shout out to neighbor Dan. Also, Elliot Shur-Parks was there, my buddy Tommy, his buddy James. We had a blast. It was really fun. Oh, wow.

So everyone but everyone but someone yeah were you gonna come in from westchester to watch the game that we all live next to each other you're the one who moved out of philly buddy this is on you pal literally all of us live within a block of each other well i didn't think the phils were gonna make the world series i know had i known that that, maybe I would have stayed in Philadelphia. I know. I know. I know.

Dude, I mean, it is like, so I was going to say this before, and I'm happy I remember to say it because it is funny because throughout

this whole thing, like, hold on, buddy, hold on. I got something for you. I got something

for you. Uh-oh. It's time. Miller Lights for Phil's wins. Yeah, that's what we do. That's wins. Yep, that's what we do. That's what we do. That is what we do.

And shout out to everyone who yelled at us at the stadium. That was super freaking awesome. But, Jack, it's crazy because, you know, you think about what it's been like over, you know, the course of this run here and the, you know, kind of lack of faith that we had before in this team and um you know i kept saying throughout when we had that first playoff game and the sagura hit and really even them clinching when we did the clinching pot we kept talking about it feels so

surreal it feels so hard to believe that this team is there and that they're you know they actually made it and then wow they actually won a series this is so cool and so surreal and I thought at a point in the brave series it still felt surreal it all feels surreal again we never you know we really got to the point with this podcast where it's not like we never thought this was gonna happen but we really didn't count on it or plan on it or really like genuinely believe that that it something like this this kind of run was was coming just because it's been so long and it's so hard to believe that that's going to happen when you haven't seen it for so long but the funniest thing is i thought i had kind of gotten past the the most surreal part of it but tonight like honestly it might have been the most surreal of

it all for me because tonight was the night where it felt like you know they all right they already won the two series they beat the crap out of the braves at felt like, you know, all right, they already won the two series. They beat the crap out of the Braves at home, like all that. And then to start off the NLCS like this just was such a, to the point we just made, you know, an unfillies-like win just to be so businesslike and so on the ball. And, you know, the fact that that Alec Boehm error did not come back to haunt them is like

like every single game the last five years they lose that game because of that like every game man every game so it's just like watching what we watched tonight and and literally sitting here thinking like i think they're gonna go the world series it is i my brain can't process it jack like i'm still struggling to wrap my brain around it you heard my brain crap not not here what a dog yeah i know like dude like dude i am so programmed to feel losses coming from a mile away it is it is like the ethos which we talk about a lot on this podcast. The ethos of my brain is programmed. The Phils are going to lose this game. You know the Phils are going to lose this game.

And they just freaking don't, man. Like game one in St. Louis, loss. Seen that loss a thousand times. Game two in St. Louis, seen that loss a million times. They get a lead and they blow it. In St. Louis, seen that loss a million times. They get a lead and they blow it. Like we've seen this team rally back and stick true and be tough and be resilient through so many games.

Like game one in Atlanta, that's a loss I've seen a million times. Game two in Atlanta was actually a loss. I know we've got to mix them in every once in a while. I've got to be honest. Games three and four never really felt like losses. Games three and four felt like absolute parties. They were the least feels like a loss games that we've seen in the Phillies. Yeah, honestly.

Maybe ever. But it's so funny because they have gone from, oh, good golly, gosh, I'm so glad they made the playoffs, to, oh, good golly gosh i'm so glad they made the playoffs to oh good golly gosh we get a we get a home playoff game too they're gonna make the freaking world series and if they don't i'm gonna be absolutely freaking crushed to my soul i will be crushed to something that i've never felt before in my entire life if this philly's baseball team uh doesn't make the make the world series like i like thankfully for me that jill and i never broke up or i never

experienced heartbreak or really any of that from that nature this would be about the equivalent of that i'm sure like if this fuck if this team doesn't make the doesn't make the world series dude dude james they are three freaking wins from the dude the world that this is not like this isn't some like sham of of of a mockery of a mickey mouse thing you know in a baseball whatever even though like every single fan base is trying to turn it into um some mockery of the sport which is not like maybe just win your series after you've been off for five days not that hard um but like dude they are they are three wins away from going to the to the world series man like that is so hard for my brain to compute and it's so hard for your brain to compute i know it's older and i'm just begging that your brain doesn't fall apart as this podcast goes along

me too buddy and think of everyone out there that listens to this podcast where it's like like dude we we again we've done this a million times the last like week where it's like you think about every scrub that sat here that we talked ourself into and like dude they're three wins away from going to the world bleepin series and we actually feel like it's real that was a stress-free nlcs game on the road now did it help that like peko park is not intimidating at all yeah i'm sure it helped but like it's it's insane it is insane the level of trust that we have placed in this team where two and a half weeks ago there was legitimate conversation that they don't deserve to make the playoffs. Backing into the playoffs would be disappointing

to now where it's like I think this is the best Phillies team in my entire life. I mean, it's just like it's insanity. This never happens. Like we never – honestly, we keep talking about the 07-11 run and not for obvious reasons but like 93 is kind of like a comp in a way in that like you know we look that team was worse to first so like no one expected them to be good but they kind of started off hot

and just got good but this but we never have the kind of out of nowhere run you know it's like you know in 08 like you know they were in the playoffs the year before we expected them to be good like we thought they were a real contender like again to the point of three and a half weeks ago or three weeks ago we were everyone thought they were the biggest losers in the city like we've never gotten that kind of like you know oh yeah like we'll see what happens to like oh my goodness yeah oh wow what a fun win oh oh my wait hold on well oh my god they're going like you know we've never had this type of thing where it's like a three-week thing and all of a sudden we're like we're going to the world series like what is this i think the closest comp is actually the 08 eagles uh oh yes what a good comp you're right after when when Donovan got benched, they were bad. And it's a great comp, Jack.

They were like, oh, the 08 Eagles, Kevin Cobb came in at halftime at Baltimore. It seemed like everything was kind of crumbling apart. What a good comp by you, dude. Honestly, this is really impressive. Nice job. It was towards the end of the run. It was towards the end. So they had a way better run, obviously, than this team had.

Like, we knew that team. We knew Trey. We knew Runyon. We knew Donovan. We knew Westbrook. We knew Dawkins. We knew Lito. We knew Sheldon.

Like, we knew the basis of that team. But at the same point, like, it was towards the end. There was a little bit of Eagles fatigue. And they just strung together a run out of nowhere. You know, they made the playoffs. They had the game over the Vikings with the Westbrook screen. It's still an underrated Eagles moment in team history. So you have that.

And the only other comp I came up with was the 2010 Flyers, like with Leighton carrying them to the cup. But that was also like came out of nowhere. And the hockey's a little different. But, yeah, it's another good one. Yeah. And they weren't as talented. Like this team always had talent.

Nor is dominant in the playoffs. Like they had the magical, you know, come from three down. But, like, the Phillies are just whooping. The Phillies have only lost one game. Like, you know, it is different, you know. What are we watching? The Phillies are just whooping deep the Phillies have only lost one game like you know it is different you know what are we watching like the Phillies are six and one in the playoffs the Phillies are six and one in the playoffs like like what's their run differential I mean it's got I mean they went 17 to four at Citizens Bank Park it's gotta be pretty freaking high you know they lost the game they lost by three runs so like pretty freaking high it's like come on like again again

i don't know i i like my brain cannot compute what we're watching right now it just it just physically can't it just this is this is something that i i just just want everyone out there that listens to us and loves this baseball team. Do not take this for granted because what we're witnessing right now is special, high-level stuff that we don't get around here every often. I would love to – I know I said on the last podcast this is only only beginning but that was also like with the base level of you know nlcs appearance maybe world series like i'm at the point now where this is such a magical out of nowhere run to where like i'm not sure this will happen again you know i thought the foals i think this team making the world series slash possibly winning it it would be just as improbable as nick foals being like the super bowl mvp and and having that because the eagles at that point

they were a dominant football team that was unfairly yeah that's why i didn't bring him up exactly that's why i'm bringing him up because like it was it was out of nowhere that they won with foals at least for the rest of the country after the Atlanta game. It wasn't for us, but it was going before that. But they were still the one seed. They were a dominant football team. I'm with you. It's a little different. This team was not dominant all year.

They won 87 games. They had been largely a disappointment. And when we needed them the most, they turned into one of the better teams in the sport. There's going to be a lot of conversation over the next couple weeks of like, well, do the Phillies even deserve to be there? Extra wildcard team this, extra wildcard team that. How they're playing right now is one of the better teams in the sport

and how we kind of thought we were getting heading into the postseason. we were getting heading into the post season and it's, it's such a, it's such an insane run that it's so hard to put into words. And these guys are, are turning into our guys right in front of our eyes. And it's, it's, it's just,

it's, you've said it. I don't know. I mean, if there was a count, you said it a million times, but it's just magical. It is.

It's magical. By the way, I put it together there. The Phillies have outscored their opponents in seven postseason games, 35 to 15, a plus 20 run differential for the Phillies in seven games. Jack, you're going to win a lot of games when you have a plus 20 run differential through seven baseball games in the playoffs. You make a great point.

I think that's why it's so hard to kind of wrap around it because, again, honestly, I don't even think, because you're right, that Eagles team is a really good comp, but even then, they were, what, like 6-6 or 5-6 or something like that, or 5-6-1 or whatever it was, and they end up 9-6-1, and then they go on the run in the playoffs and stuff like that, or 5-6-1 or whatever it was, and they end up 9-6-1, and then they go on the run in the playoffs and stuff like that. You had time to kind of get on board and get on the run a little bit.

This has been three weeks. This has been three weeks from the absolute nadir, the bottom of how we felt about this team this season, the bottom of the September swoon, to, again, to your point, like, us thinking they are going to the World Series and thinking they can win the World Series. Like, we could be having a parade in, like, two and a half weeks in Philadelphia. There could be a parade, Jack. I've had two in my lifetime. As you like to point out, I'm old as bleep. And I've had two in my, well, three technically, but I was two years old for one of them.

Like, this doesn't happen, Jack. This doesn't happen here. This doesn't happen. And in the span of three weeks, it has gone from the bottom to the top. Like, it is, again, honestly, Jack, if they can finish this out, and right now it is already one of the most honestly Jack if they can finish this out right now it is already one of the most insane things if they finish this out I think it is the most insane month in the

history of Philadelphia sports that any team has ever had like no one has ever gone from and again foals when Wentz went out and foals but that was more time like that's the only thing even close in terms of of a short period of time where, where no one believed they could do it to everyone believe they were going to do it. Like this is crazy. It is unheard of, especially in this city.

So the title that you were a two for, was that the 1967 Sixers? Yes. Nailed it. Yes. Well, your guy, your guy,

you know, let me tell you, it was great. Jack, your, your takes are unfair. Let me echo what many say, you know let me tell you it's great jack your takes are unfair let me echo what many say you know young and what was great it's on my own eyes unlike the phillies what was a loser um

dude like you're you're going through this whole thing yeah i i swear to god i i wish that there was a camera on me because you're going through this whole thing you're going to this whole soliloquy of of best ever best this best that and i i am just sitting here with a bleep eating grin on my like dude like all right let me try to put this into words you me the people that listen to this podcast like we are so different than most of the people that are watching the phillies right now like i'm all aboard with people getting in on the Phillies, but like there's you. I mean, if you know me at all,

there's definitely a portion. There's definitely a part of me that is like named 10 players right now or gatekeeper as they say. Yeah. And like, dude, I'm so proud to be a gatekeeper, like a gatekeeper.

I don't care at all. Like I, like I, I, I don't, it doesn't compute. Like I texted't care at all. Like I, like I, I, I don't, it doesn't compute. Like I texted my friend this the other day and shout out to Tom O'Neill who listens to the podcast and is putting up a pot of coffee just so he can

listen to those podcasts. Shout out to Tom. Um, it doesn't compute in my brain cheering for the Phillies when you've watched less than like 60 games in a year. And I know like 60 sounds a lot, but it doesn't compute in my brain. You raising your arms and cheering. If you like didn't experience Yadiel Hernandez seven to one against the message here. Like I don't understand how you think you have the right to to feel like

we are the same like i don't want i don't want you to feel like you are the same as me you and the people that listen to this podcast i swear to you that's how exactly how i feel um that's the least surprising thing you've ever said by the way again again it doesn't compete with me yeah um but the real ones the disease like just sit back and think about where we are right now like the the the team that we love and i love the phillies you love the phillies people listen to this podcast love the phillies and i know it's an eagles town and we get beaten over our heads with why do you care about the phillies like baseball is dead baseball is this baseball is that this team is three wins away from the world series And is making the 11 years of just pain and torture and brutalness that was watching them blow it September after September.

They are making it all worth it now. And they are making us like just almost well up inside with happiness because that's what philly's baseball means to us like what philly's baseball means to to me is like everything sports sports wise like sports wise the phillies mean absolutely everything and what they're doing right now i legitimately through portions of this podcast james i never thought we'd see this i legitimately never thought i'd see a clutch phillies team a a team living up to my expectations our aces being aces our stars being stars our bullpen being competent like when we look back on the 2022 fills like 10 years from now it's almost it's it's improbable it's improbable but it's magical and they're freaking doing it man like they're doing it they're doing

it in front of our eyes it is insane it is insane what we're watching right now i know it's insane improbable impossible unbelievable like again i keep you know saying surreal because like it doesn't feel real i i feel the joy and and i know we talked like no joke i've thought about a lot since like saturday at the ballpark is the single greatest live sporting experience of my life. Like without a doubt, it is top two or three sports days of my life. And, and the fact that like this key is just, we just get more now. Like we get, we get more, like I could have ended there and been like, well, this was just the coolest thing that ever happened. And now it's just like, all right, let's go into San Diego and handle business. And like the World Series, and to your point, look,

and I'm not quite as gatekeeper-y as you are. Like I want everyone to love the Phillies. I want everyone to love baseball because it's my favorite sport. It's the best sport. Like baseball is just the best sport. And when you watch this and when you see playoff baseball like fight me on it like fight me on it because there is nothing better like there's nothing better i was watching with five people night and every single one of us hanging

every pitch and freaking out on balls and like you know pop it like you know everyone's like locked in and and there is nothing else that does that with the drama and the beauty of baseball. But here's what I will say. I agree with you. I want everyone on board to come on in. But it just means more to us than to you. I'm sorry. It does.

It can mean something to you. And I want everyone to enjoy it and be happy. But you're right in the sense that when you watch 160 games, 150 games, heck, 140 games, when you plan your life around this team, when you say, I'm giving up three to four hours a night, a night with this team, and especially, especially over the last 10 years, 11 years of just trash baseball for a lot of it and then mediocre baseball for a lot of it and really until this season like mediocre baseball until this season like like it's dedication it is it is effort like it takes effort to be a Phillies fan

like you can be an Eagles fan and say all all right, I'm going to give you three hours of Sunday. Maybe I'll give you a Monday night every once in a while. Like this is like, this is like effort and pain and suffering on a nightly basis for us. How much have we suffered? How many podcasts have we done just talking to each other, being like, this sucks. I I hate this I hate that you and I are talking about this right now I don't even want to be here right now like how many times have we done that and now we get to talk to each other about glory and about magic and about the team that we spent the last 11 years like suffering with suffering on a night-to-night basis for hours, for hours, like such a large commitment of our life, we finally get to see that team, those colors, those players

on the national stage and doing it at the highest level and playing the best we've ever seen them. Like, I can't believe it, man. Like like i can't that's the the theme of this podcast tonight is very clearly we can't believe what we're seeing that i don't believe what i just saw i feel like jack buck like i don't believe what i just saw every night in the playoffs i don't believe what i just saw jack i agree uh like i you know, people I feel like turned us. Can you put into words how we're supposed to feel right now? The answer tonight is no. I have literally nothing for you.

I have nothing for you. Other than just crack open a Miller Lite. We just got vibes for you i have nothing for you other than just crack open a miller light if you listen vibes we just got vibes for you tonight i know it's like you crack open a beer uh or if you listen to this in the morning put on a pot of coffee and just celebrate it like that enjoy it enjoy it like we don't get this we don't get this no and especially in the history of the phillies like i mean i guess 83 came out of nowhere 93 came out of nowhere but the same point like 93 they were still good in 80 and 77 and 78 and 70 you know i mean like they still like had years there where it was like this has been 11 years man they they hadn't won more than 81 games before last year, and they only won 82.

I mean, they've been miserable. They have been. And, you know, I mean, the Wiz kids came out of nowhere, I guess. But, you know, it's hard to compare stuff because there's no, like, playoffs and whatnot. Like, what we're seeing right now is the most improbable run in Philly's history. And I don't think that's even debatable. It has come so out of nowhere.

And, you know, it was funny because I don't know if you felt this way, but heading into first pitch, I was like, I'm not even nervous. You know? I wasn't nervous at all, Jack. I wasn't nervous at all. The Cardinals series, I was living and dying and freaking out over every little thing that happened. And in the Braves series, game one was really fun and it was awesome.

And they made the play late. And I was like, yeah, this is great. We split on the road. And then just the party that Assistance Bank Park was over the weekend, I was like, this is stress-free playoff baseball. It's also a damn good time to have Assistance Bank Park. And then today happened, and I was sitting there, and it's like, even if they lost this series,

I wouldn't be down in the dumps because I'm so happy, and what has happened so far has been so happy but like even if they like if they go on a run and they win it's like dude we're about to play in the world bleeping series like that they are again we've said it again maybe more than magical in this podcast they are three wins away they are three wins away from the World Series. Three wins away from the World. What are we doing here? This isn't the Phillies. This isn't the Phillies.

This is getting excited about, like, Mick April and Andrew Painter and looking at Arizona Fall League and stuff. We're not supposed to be here right now. You haven't mentioned once that Johan Rojas has been tearing it up. I mean, I haven't even heard the name out of your mouth. Like what are we doing here? Where are we talking about the ethos of this podcast?

Jack? I have to be honest. I have no idea what any players do. Like I, I have legitimately, I have legitimately no idea. That's awesome. That makes me really happy to hear that.

Yeah. I'm just so happy. I'm so happy. I'm so happy. Could a series turn negatively? Sure. I get it. But this moment right now, being up 1-0, you already split on the road.

You have a chance to bring the San san diego padres into citizens bank park this weekend um i'm i i'm over the moon i'm happy i i am smiling ear to ear this is this is the by far the most fun i've had watching a sporting event in my entire life. It's amazing. All right, let's get this up because shout out to every single person who's tweeting they won't go to bed until we put the pot up. You're amazing and we love you. And everyone, I love everyone.

I love, I'm so happy, Jack. I'm so happy. And seriously, to Jack's point we said before, but this is like for you, for you, for the people who listen to this pod, the people who've been on this ride with us, the disease freaking maniacs who came to the first Iopes night and have come to everyone since, the people we see all the time who come to our events, who care so much about this team, to listen to us talk to Jack's

point about the Arizona Fall League and crap like that. That's the type of pods we've had to do that you guys have listened to. So it's really special to be able to kind of go on this journey with you guys. And I can't wait for more. And, you know, somehow we've done 44 minutes. I don't think we've said a single thing meaningful in this podcast except three wins away

from the World Series. Tomorrow night, different form of the pod. We are actually going to be on WIP, another post-game show for WIP another post game show for WIP so call in it was awesome we talked to neighbor Dan on the phone last time we had

a few other people Nick in Atlanta calling him we had some some pod people I got a yo it is on the phone which is literally the coolest thing a caller has ever done in my

radio career so please call us we would love to hear from you guys and obviously if not we'll have it up in the feed after the game. As Jack, the Phillies have a chance to take a 2-0 lead on the road in the NLCS. I mean, they already split. We said split. It's done.

It's already over. They split, Jack. Yeah, let's lock in and talk real baseball. They split on the road, which is a massive thing. And they head in tomorrow like first off you want to talk about a possible revenge scenario harper's revenge against blake's oh buddy thoroughly thoroughly look forward to and noel's on such a roll right now it's interesting um so i originally thought they win game one, they lose game two. But now after watching game one, it's like, well,

I think that ballpark sets up really, really well for Knowles. And I know last year he had like a perfect game or no hitter heading into the ninth and lost it on a home run, which is like classic old Aaron Nola, not new Aaron Nola. But I think that ballpark sets up really, really well for Noles to have a day. And if you're asking me to handicap who I trust more heading into a game two, given all the scenarios, I trust Nola way, way more than Blake Stiles. So I no longer expect a split. I fully expect to be sitting

there with you on wip tomorrow um at around eight i would say being up to own a series uh with a chance to go to the world series wow what a what an insane thing to say what an insane thing to say um and i'm literally who let the phils get hot dude like all of our stupid bits are coming to life in front of my eyes like like dude sorry they're like i'm speechless right now because i can't even get out the fact that playoff nola is a real thing in front of us jack like we're talking about playoff nola taking a hill tomorrow and like it's not a it's not a six-year bit that became the saddest thing on this podcast. Like, we used to, like, play off Nola.

And then it used to become, like, play off Nola, LOL. Like, and now we're actually watching play off Nola, Jack. Like, the dream is real, man. Well, it's bad, but it's also, like, it's not only just play off Nola, but remember, like, when Sir Anthony Gumbs came up but it's also like it's not only just playoff NOLA, but remember like when Sir Anthony Gumbs came up and it was like, oh, well, this is what a modern reliever looks like. And now he's going one, two, three in the eighth and just mowing down the Padres like they have absolutely no chance.

And then, you know, one of the other longstanding bits in this podcast was like, hey, let's trade for guys that throw hard. Jose Averano throws pretty hard. It's just like, you know, I'm not one to pat ourselves on the back, right? Like I, you know, everyone love everyone. Everyone be happy. But I mean, we really led this franchise down a positive path. You know what I mean?

Like trade for guys that throw hard. I'm not saying we should get rings, but you know, if they want to give us a ring. I mean, think about it. Brian Barber, you're welcome.

I was thinking about today. I was thinking about today. I mean, Ani, who gets more credit for Ani? All we did was say bring in Rays guys, Rays guys,

Rays guys. I mean, come on. Yeah, no, never a doubt. Caleb Cotham. I couldn't have been more all in

from Caleb Cotham from day one. Brian Kaplan from Cresty Sports Performance. It's like, yeah, hire smart pitching guys. Like sports, pitching is a science right now more than it's ever been in its entire existence. Let's bring in smart pitching guys. And they've like turned all these guys into beasts. guys and they like turn all these guys into beasts it's just it's such leadership um from this podcast that i i would hope that the affiliates who recognize that did we did we take a big swing and a miss on dave dombrowski yeah sure um but we rebounded quickly at the same

time quickly super quickly no one remembers that well and at the same time like at the same time like we knew matt more and and Chase Anderson stunk. Yeah. You know? We're right about that. I mean. 100% right. So, whatever.

You're welcome for Schwartz. All I'm saying. All I'm saying is that this podcast, like, we've just led this team down in such a positive direction. And we've, you want to talk about turning a franchise around. Name one other pod. Like, you want to talk about turning a franchise around name one other pod like you want to talk about the rights to ricky sanchez i mean listen they made them do the process and they and who knows i mean they still i mean the phillies are in the championship round the the phillies are one of the final four teams in their sport when was last time that for

the sixers oh 2001 so you know exactly right exactly right so cute process right streaky sanchez why don't you talk about actual change which is what this podcast has done just winners that's just that's what we do on this podcast is we just win just over and over again just just telling the phillies how to do it from day one so you know again not big bad ourselves in the back guys um but again they're not in this situation without this podcast i mean very clearly i mean everyone remembers the day bob nightingale wrote the article that turned the season around it was me was quoted in it so you know we you know jack pro bryce harper here by himself you might not know that so you know we're just saying no big deal we don't we don't care it's not like we're just we just want we just want it to be known you know is there anything else that we have to do I mean I gave up on this team and tweeted it feels like

a loss a million times and I've literally lost maybe how much money yeah you've lost so much money especially in the playoffs the live betting in the playoffs has not gone well for you by the way by the way i am i almost i like i so i only not bet on the phillies in one game guess what game it was game two in atlanta yeah and do you know what i bet on tonight and neighbor dan can be my uh verification this i did not bust it out till the very end of the game because I was not, I wasn't, but I, tonight, I bet,

I only bet two bucks because, you know, I'm lame, but I bet on Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwerber both to Homer with the Phillies money line win. It's adorable.

What'd you win? $22? $43, you jerk. It was two to win 43. Pretty amazing. You're such a loser, dude. Thank you.

It's a good bet though right i mean come on well of course it's two dollars man like it's literally two dollars like i am dying inside because tyrese maxi could have hit another three to make it to give me three threes like first talk about talk about an awful night you want you want to know how bad my all right you want to talk about my night i was more stressed watching tyrese maxi like miss three after three than i was a philly's nlcs game one on the road that's how furious i was like i woke up this morning very excited about the nba being back so i could do the same game partly as again. And then immediately a half into my NBA betting of the season, I was like, oh, this is the worst thing that's ever happened to me.

So cute bet. But just think about the others that have gone through Tyrese Maxey not hitting three threes today. I think everyone listening really feels for you right now. So it's good. Well, I did give out, I will say, say gambling advice i did say on wip today which again is listened to by millions of people in this city um i did say schwarber is sitting over tonight and i did tweet earlier today that he's gonna win else nlcs mvp so we're off to a hot start look at this

buddy yeah it's amazing what a night buddy what a night alright let's get this pot up you got any final thoughts yeah I have like a thousand final thoughts I'm sorry oh my god Jack

it's midnight buddy nah I don't care dude this is again it feels like nine o'clock um in all seriousness the um

I forget what my all seriousness was. Moving on to my various team take back. Rattle through them, buddy. The Ute Darvish plan was actually insane for the first three innings of the game. It was like, oh, here's curveball. I'm going to use it when I'm ahead in counts, behind in counts. And, like, it took them a good two innings to adjust on the fly to, like, okay, he's going to throw fastballs up in counts, which he wasn't doing.

And definitely was not on the game plan. Like, if I was saying, like, heading into the game, if I – oh, I remember what I was going to say. The Kevin Long stories with Kyle Schwarber were, like, I was melting inside with happiness. Like, Kyle Schwarber – or Kevin Long said he was like his pick to click this series because of what he was doing in the cage. So that's what I forgot to say before getting to the take back.

Now into the take back, the Darvish plan was insane. And it was infuriating, I'm sure, at home to watch them just not swinging at 95 right down the middle. But when you sit back and appreciate what Darvish was doing, you kind of understood it. Cool. Okay, don't want to expound on that. I know what I need to say to that.

I'm with you. Dude, speaking of plans against pitchers, I have no idea what the Padres' plan was against Zach Wheeler. It's like, yeah, let's just try to jump on fastballs, I guess. But at the same time, he had, what, 30 pitches in the first inning? And then was that 75 pitches by the seventh? Yeah, it made no sense. It made no sense.

Maybe let's grow up and take a pitch, but whatever. Good job, Padres. Did you see the alternate angle of the Schwarber home run from the fans' point of view? I literally just saw it. I want to say three minutes ago. Dude, does it not look fake? Tell me that video does not look fake.

It looks like the Michael Vick, that commercial where he throws it and it just keeps going. It's the same thing, dude. I thought the same exact thing. It doesn't look real. It's insane. When they took out, this is full disclosure, like inside my brain, which again is like not the best place to go into, especially in the middle of a Phillies playoff game.

But when they pulled Zach Wheeler, I was already thinking about like 25 to 30 years from now, being able to like sit my kids down or like talk on wip about how i'm still not over rob thompson pulling zach wheeler i mean haven't we at at by now learned to not doubt topper i mean how many times you go take reese out of the tool boom you know don't pull wheeler boom it's like right and left whatever this guy does it's like, it's just magic. He's got the magic touch. I agree, but at the same point, there was no fiber of my being that liked that decision.

Yeah, every Phillies fan agrees. I did see on Twitter people were saying that the velocity was down at the end there for Wheeler. I don't know. Take it for what it's worth. But I think myself and pretty much everyone listening agrees I would have let at least Wheeler at least let him come out and start the next inning like I don't know um I could not get over

Luis Garcia pitching in that game like I know he's been pretty good for two and a half years he's been very good yeah doesn't I do not care there's not I do not care at all but that guy was terrible here he was hard and I I believed in his stuff and he completely made me look like a fool per usual. Just a philosophical question for you, James. Do you think that when Aaron Nola is in the dugout and his brother is up to bat in the ninth inning, do you think he's rooting for him to get a hit? Of course he's not.

No. This is an only child question. No one with a brother would have asked that question. I don't know why you are picking on me. No, I'm just joking. I mean, you get competitive with your brother. You want to beat your brother, especially in a real competitive situation like that. I think Aaron Nola won his brother strikeout.

Frankly, people, people with siblings are freaks anyway that was great anyway moving on yeah I don't think you probably should just end on that it's not gonna get any better um I would I I am filing a I don't know if you I don't know if you know this. I don't know if I ran this by you because I don't like running things by you before I decide to do things. But I did send an FCC complaint to Fox tonight because they posted...

Jose Alvarado's post is in the ERA. And there's just absolutely no way that guy's a 5.4 we gave up two homers you know no they never it's because he's only finished like four innings you know simply it's a sample size issue nope nope so uh look out for that fox you're being i don't think soothe is the word, but I'm coming for you. And why was there no Armando Sosa at third base in the ninth? Yeah, that's the bit.

I think that was an even more egregious move by Topper. And he's done that a couple times. And look, it went the other way. I think the Dalton Guthrie, Nick Cassio, I was thinking, look, let's be honest, Dalton Guthrie probably catches that ball too. Dalton Guthrie, Nick Cassie. I was thinking, look, let's be honest, Dalton Guthrie probably catches that ball too. But Topper has

been a little... There are a couple spots where it's pretty clear that you would go defensive replacement in that spot, and he hasn't. Yep. And last thing is the Padres fan rap

from this morning. It's the worst thing I've ever seen in my entire life. Have you ever seen it? This is a clear Twitter bit or whatever but someone says something dumb or whatever and it was like Eagles by a thousand or Phillies by a thousand or a hundred or whatever. This was the most

I've ever seen that. Every single person on Twitter national, local local whatever was quote tweeting that video and doing some version of Phillies by 100 or Phillies are a lock or Phillies are going to the World Series or whatever it was like the the single most I've ever seen it was really bad now the question is is that they know it was bad or did they think it was cool? Like, did those dorky San Diego. They have to know it's bad, right?

I don't know. They seem like they put a lot of effort into it. But they did. Yeah, it's choreographed. Either way. I'm looking at it right now. That's what's in is now ingrained. It's just ingrained in my brain. That's what's in is now ingrained it's just ingrained in my brain

that's what's in awful anyway it's really bad it's really bad it's real bad not even close to being like a competent song and I've listened to Butch and Manny Young's Flintstones songs for three years Oh Butch is definitely better than this

yeah think about that sentence anyway that's all I got that's all i got buddy uh once again i sit here on at midnight on a what is today tuesday i sit here on uh midnight on a tuesday and i can't believe this podcast has been an hour long especially since the first like 45 minutes we didn't say anything i know i know just kind of freaked out and just kind of knocked it down but i'm looking forward to uh to uh tomorrow on wip it's gonna be amazing it's gonna be amazing all right check us out call in like jack said probably around eight obviously we'll basically be on like you know half an hour 20 minutes half an hour

after whenever the game ends somewhere in that that general range. So look for us, listen for us, and call us. Again, we would prefer to hear from Habs people. That would be amazing. All right, you got any final thoughts, Ritzy? Final thoughts is time to go two up tomorrow and big game goals on the mound. You know, most of them I do final thoughts. It's like, oh, Sarcastic can't wait to see, like, you know,

Rickson Wicksgrove making his major league debut like four years from now. But right now I'm thinking about the World Series and the Phillies being in it. And that is something I never thought I'd say in my entire life. So go Phils. Enjoy tomorrow. It's going to be special. But either way, they're heading home with a split, and that is just beautiful.

It's beautiful, especially because, you know, look, they might lose a game at home, but I definitely am not sure that they're going to lose in that ballpark. I mean, that was insane. All right, my final thoughts. I'll steal one from you, Jack. Just get me to 435. Just get me to 435 tomorrow.

Let's take a 2-0 lead. The Phillies are the betting favorite to go to the World Series, Jack. They're the betting favorite to go to the World Series. The clear favorite. Pretty crazy, man. All right, check us out. WIP tomorrow. The Phillies are up 1-0 in the NLCS!

He's fritzing himself. We'll see you next time.